


Birthday Cake

by GeneHarlow



Category: Bates Motel (2013)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2016-10-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 07:51:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8278375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeneHarlow/pseuds/GeneHarlow
Summary: Alex realises that no-one has ever made Norma Bates feel special on her birthday, and he endeavours to change that. Warning - Unadulterated fluff! (Title is from the Rihanna song. Listening to it while reading is optional but recommended... )





	1. Chapter 1

"Was there any mail for me today?"

Alex frowned at the question. It was the third time she'd asked this week, her tone overly casual, while her eyes darted around the kitchen counters, eagerly searching for a stack of mail she'd missed.

"No. Nothing." He said slowly, watching as her face fell the tiniest bit, before she noticed him looking at her, fixing a wide smile back on her face.

"Why?"

"Nothing serious. The electric bill is late. That's all." She shrugged casually, turning back to her oatmeal and staring down at it glumly.

She was lying to him now, he was sure of it. She didn't seem to know that he kept a casual eye on her finances, making a note of the bills that came in, often surreptitiously checking their joint account to see if there was enough in there to cover it. He was always ready to jump in, to bail her out if her barely-breaking-even business were to fail, but she always seemed to manage the bills, no matter what. She had been managing without him for a long time now - She never needed his help, and until she asked, he wouldn't dare offer, but he hoped she knew he would help her in a heartbeat.

She'd paid the electric bill days ago, less than a day after it had arrived, just like she always did, and he frowned across at her, observing the way she was resting her head on her hand, toying with her breakfast sadly.

"You ok?"

"What?" She looked up, as if startled by the casual question. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She smiled at him, a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, and he tried to smile back, hating that there was something bothering her that she wasn't telling him about. He knew better than to push it though, and simply nodded gently at her, before rising to his feet and kissing her goodbye.

She waited until she heard his car pull away, waited until the sound of tyres on asphalt had faded to nothing and the house was still and silent before slowly rising from the breakfast table, and treading to her bedroom, sitting heavily on the edge of the bed. She sniffled deeply, feeling pathetic as she leaned forwards, bending to reach under the bed, pulling out a battered old shoebox.

Tears threatened to fall as her hands skimmed gently over the creased, crushed cardboard surface, before she shook herself. It wasn't a big deal. So he had forgotten this year? That was fine. He had alot going on with his treatment. She didn't need to torture herself.

Taking a deep breath, she shoved the shoebox back under the bed without opening it, swiping her fingers under her eyes and carrying on with her day, not noticing the corner of black and red cardboard that was still poking out.

"Norma? Norma?" Alex jogged into the house, noticing how still it was, letting himself glance around the empty kitchen for a second, before sprinting up the stairs. "Norma? I forgot my tie...?" He trailed off as he realised he was talking to no-one, slowing his pace a little, and heading over to the dresser to grab the tie she had picked to go with his suit. He was about to head out when a little flash of red poking out from the bed drew his attention and he stopped, strangely intrigued by what seemed to be a shoe box he'd never seen before, old and tattered, unlike anything else Norma Bates owned.

He sat down, unable to resist the mysterious box, running his hands over the surface, wiping the fine layer of dust from the top of it. It looked old - not vintage or antique - just old. The faded logo of some shoe store that didn't exist anymore adorned the top, in a garish, blocky 90's font, and there was an air of neglect that made him feel sad without knowing why. Already nervous about what he might find, he slid the lid off, frowning as he was presented with a fairly innocuous looking collection of birthday cards.

He grabbed the top one, a generic, but expensive-looking card, opening it and reading the message.

To Mother. Happy Birthday! All my love, Norman xxx

Alex smiled a little at his sentimental wife secretly keeping these things in a box under the bed. It didn't seem like her.

He grabbed the next one, another pretty, expensive-looking card, with intricate flowers printed on heavy paper.

To Mother. Can't wait to spend your birthday together. Love forever, Norman xx

He flicked through the next few, noticing that they all seemed to be from Norman, all on classy, pretty cards, with simple, heartfelt wishes, realising they seemed to be going backwards in chronological order.

To Mom! Happy birthday. Lots of love from Norman. And dad too. xxx

Alex frowned at that, flicking through a few more cards, noticing that there had been a good few years where Norman had signed the cards from his father aswell. Surely Sam had got her his own birthday card too though? Alex knew from little snippets he had pieced together that Sam Bates had been an asshole, quite possibly abusive, and an all round bad guy, but, he'd surely gotten his wife a birthday card at least once over the years?

Apparently not. Eventually, the expensive cards segued into cheaper ones, the choices of a smaller child, perhaps saving up his allowance to buy them, and eventually, he was at a small stack of homemade cards, near the bottom of the box.

He smiled at the adorably bad penmanship of a very small child, each card a mess of glue and glitter and too many colours.

Mommy. Happy birthday. Love Norman. xxxxxxx

The barely legible scrawl read.

There were a couple more of the sentimental homemade cards near the bottom, and he frowned as he came to the last handful of cards, which seemed colder somehow, impersonal and cheap-looking, compared to Norman's prettier choices.

To Norma. The teacher made me write this. From Dylan.

It was written in the scrawl of a very angry little kid and Alex hated the idea of her hanging on to this, as if she needed to be reminded that one of her children used to hate her, like she wasn't worthy of the love that the rest of the box contained.

The last couple of cards were more of the same, either dripping in blatant resentment, or wishing her a happy birthday in the most disinterested way Alex had ever read. She'd mentioned that her and Dylan hadn't always gotten along, but, seeing them together now, he had no idea Dylan had once felt his way about his mother.

The very last card was definitely the oldest, and the most worn, definitely the sort of card someone picked up at a gas station as an afterthought.

Norma. Happy birthday. From Sam and the boys.

He flipped it over slowly in his hands, searching for something else, anything that would make it clear why she had chosen to save these cards along with Norman's. With a start, he wondered if these were all the cards she'd ever received? Surely they couldn't be. They were all from Norman, with only a handful of vicious birthday wishes from Dylan and one singular card from her second husband. Where were the cards from her family? Or from her first husband? Alex's childhood had been a mess, but even he had had cards and a cake on his birthday.

He suddenly felt like he was intruding on something very personal, something very sad that Norma wouldn't want him to see, and he quickly arranged the cards back in the box, doing his best to keep them in order and splay them out just the same, before sliding the box back under the bed, not releasing his breath until he was sure it was in the same position as when he found it.

Grabbing his forgotten tie, realising he was now absurdly late for the deposition he was supposed to be attending, he slipped his phone out of his pocket, dialling as he jogged down the stairs.

"Janine. I need you to do something for me. Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm on my way there now. I forgot my damn tie... Ok, well tell them to wait. I'm literally right outside."

He broke into a sprint down the steps to his SUV, guiltily realising how late he was.

"I need you to check on something for me. I need you to find out when Norma Bates' birthday is... Janine? Are you there? ...Norma Bates."

He turned the engine on, and backed out of the parking lot at a ridiculous pace.

"Yes, Janine. My wife." He sighed heavily, rolling his eyes. "Don't start with me, ok?"

There was a long pause while Janine clacked away at the keys and Alex drove dangerously fast to get to his deposition, somehow trying to tie his tie, drive the car and stay on the phone to Janine, all at the same time.

"Yeah, I'm still here. YES! I'M LITERALLY RIGHT OUTSIDE!" He yelled down the phone, still roughly ten minutes away from the courthouse. "Ok. So that's... Wait. This Saturday? THIS Saturday?" He sighed heavily and hung up without saying goodbye to Janine. His receptionist was used to it by now, but it was a behaviour Norma was trying her best to stamp out, unsuccessful thus far.

Suddenly, Norma's frantic scanning of the mail the past week made sense now, and his heart filled with sadness for his beautiful wife, who didn't want to tell him that her birthday was in three days time.

Norma stretched contentedly in her bed, reaching for Alex, frowning when she found his side of the bed empty and cold. She sat up, grumpily scanning the room and finding it empty. He was an early riser during the week, but he usually slept in a little on the weekends, and she'd been looking forward to a roll around the sheets to start her day off. She dressed slowly, keeping her eyes trained on the door, hoping he'd wander back into the bedroom before she was fully dressed, giving her an excuse to take it all off again and crawl back into bed with him. Alas, he didn't appear, and she stomped downstairs in a mood, ready to snap at him for not waking her, stopping dead when she found her kitchen empty, the smell of coffee wafting over to her from the fresh pot sitting in the maker.

"Alex?" She yelled tentatively, already hearing the silence in the house that told her he wasn't home. Panic flooded through her before her eyes fell on a little scrap of paper lying in the middle of her table.

"Norma. Been called in to work today. Sorry. I'll be home for dinner."

She turned the paper over in her hands, staring incredulously at it, before noticing the two chicken breasts defrosting on the side, and read the note again, her eyebrows shooting up. So he was going to be out all day, and he'd thoughtfully got the chicken out so she could prepare him a meal for when he got home? Pfft.

Screwing the note up and flinging it to the ground, she opened the freezer door, slinging the chicken breasts back in and slamming the door with more force than required. She was being ridiculous, of course. He had no reason to know it was her birthday. No reason to make any sort of special effort, or to tell work he was taking the day off with his wife. But she was mad all the same, slamming around the kitchen for a few minutes before taking her phone out, scrolling through for the number and huffing angrily while it dialled.

"Dylan?" She puffed out before calming her tone a little. He had never remembered her birthday before - He had no reason to now. "Hi honey. I was wondering if-"

"Hi Norma." He cut her off, his tone short and sharp. He sounded a little breathless, and almost irritated by her call. "Listen, now isn't a good time." He said curtly.

"Oh. Ok then. I was just wondering if you were free to get some lunch later? My treat?" She added pitifully, rubbing her hand up and down her arm, feeling very sorry for herself all of a sudden.

"No." He said quickly. "No. Sorry, Norma. Not today. I'm busy." There was a pause and it sounded like he was covering the mouthpiece, a faint murmuring just making it's way through to her and she wondered what all the secrecy was about. Norma gasped as she had a sudden thought, wondering if Dylan was back in the drug trade, hoping against hope he wasn't back in that life.

"Dylan, I-"

"Listen, Norma. I gotta go. Bye." And then he hung up, and Norma dropped into the seat at the kitchen table heavily, biting her lip to stop it trembling, fighting the urge to cry and wallow.

On the other end of the phone, a frantic panic was brewing.

"I went too far." Dylan said glumly, as Emma nodded, and Alex shook his head.

"You called her Norma alot. She hates that." Emma pointed out accusingly, shaking her head at Dylan who looked stricken.

"No, no. It was perfect!" Alex protested, clapping the miserable looking Dylan on the shoulder and grinning happily at them. "The disappointment part is integral to the surprise."

Emma rolled her eyes, reaching for her phone, wondering if men ever grew out of their stupidity.

"Whoa, whoa." Dylan's hand shot out to stop her as she dialled. "You know the plan? Keep it simple, ok?"

Him and Alex exchanged a pointed look as Emma rolled her eyes at them both, shaking her hair out of her face and pressing the phone to her ear. Secretly, they had no faith in the sweet, honest Emma's ability to lie.

"Norma? It's Emma... Yeah, I'm good. Listen, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come shopping with me today? Maybe grab some lunch?" She shrugged, keeping her tone casual, her face falling at Norma's reply. She looked very sad for a moment, casting her eyes accusingly at Alex. "Oh? You're spending the day with Alex? Well, that's ok then." Alex shrunk a little under the girl's glare, suddenly wondering if he really had gone too far. To him, the disappointment was all part of it, but he frequently forgot how sensitive Norma could be. His eyes widened as Emma nodded understandingly down the phone, before she jumped up suddenly, rubbing her hand across her face.

"Norma?" Her tone was completely changed, soft and pleading and fragile all of a sudden, and both him and Dylan stared open mouthed at her as her face crumpled out of nowhere. "I don't know where Dylan is." She whispered, sounding almost tearful. "No, no, no. I mean, he's fine. But he wouldn't tell me where he was going today, and like, he was so distant this morning..." Her voice cracked convincingly, and if Alex wasn't looking at Dylan right now, he would have entirely believed her.

"No, no. I'm fine." She breathed out tearfully. "Don't cancel your plans. I just... I'm just worried. I kinda just wanted to take my mind of it but-"

Her face lit up and she moved the phone away from her face for a moment, holding her finger carefully over the mouthpiece.

"She's talking to you." She whispered, nodding at Alex and he frowned in confusion for a moment before realising what she meant.

"Yeah, I'm here? Oh Norma. Are you sure? I don't want you to have to- Ok. Ok. Yeah that sounds good. Ok, I'll see you there... Bye."

Emma clicked off the phone, smiling triumphantly at Alex and Dylan who were staring at her incredulously.

"You cancelled your plans. You were very good about it." She smirked at him, and he exchanged disbelieving looks with Dylan.

"Stop looking at me like that. You shouldn't have underestimated me!" She chastised gently, smiling smugly at them before reaching for her coat and her bag, starting to walk away from them.

"Emma?" Alex called her back, suddenly wondering if she'd be able to help him figure out something he'd been trying to figure out for the past 3 days. "What kind of flowers do you think Norma likes?" He asked nonchalantly, and Emma span back to him.

"She likes lupins, even though they remind her of her childhood. She gets sad when she sees them. And white roses used to be her favourite, but she had them in her wedding bouquet with Sam so I'd maybe avoid those? She likes peonies, and blue daisies and sunflowers, but she only likes sunflowers that are still growing. She doesn't like when people cut them."

She finished speaking and Alex stared at her open mouthed for a few moments, wondering why he didn't come to Emma with every problem he'd ever had.

"What?" She inquired, looking innocently from Dylan to Alex.

"I just... I'll never underestimate you again."

She smirked at them, before leaving without another word, leaving the boys to their busy day.

"Thank you for today, Norma." Emma said sweetly, as Norma pulled the car into the motel lot, noticing Alex's squad car parked in it's usual spot. She frowned, before fixing a smile back on her face.

"No problem, honey. I had fun. And don't worry about Dylan. Let me do that, ok? I'm sure it's nothing."

Emma nodded, casting her eyes guiltily down at the footwell.

"I'm real sorry about your skirt aswell." Emma gestured to the shopping bag at her feet, which contained Norma's stained skirt. Emma had timed the spillage just right, testing the temperature of her coffee to make sure it wasn't going to burn, before "accidentally" tipping the whole thing down Norma's outfit, forcing her to change into the dress she'd bought today.

Norma flicked her head down at herself, like she had forgotten about the incident.

"Don't be silly. It's fine." She said warmly, opening the door and climbing gracefully out of the car, smoothing her dress down as she stepped out. "And besides, it gave me an excuse to wear my new dress." She smiled sweetly at Emma, who averted her gaze, afraid she was going to give the game away with her eyes. The coffee tip had been a spur of the moment thing, after she had managed to convince Norma to buy the slightly overpriced floral print dress from the vintage boutique they'd been to. She'd looked wildly over dressed for the rest of the day in the pretty dress, with it's full A-line skirt flaring out of her hips, high, straight neckline, and open back, dipping down to the snug-fitting waist.

"And you're sure it's ok if I stay for dinner?" Emma asked for the fifth time, because she knew it would look suspicious if she didn't question it.

Norma glared at Alex's car before linking arms with Emma, starting up the steps.

"Of course! We'd love to have you! Let's be crazy tonight! Let's get a pizza!" She chirped, giving Emma's arm a little squeeze, secretly loving the idea of Alex coming home to an empty house, thinking his good little wife would have cooked him a hot meal to come home to. She was glad to invite Emma over, knowing Alex sometimes felt a little awkward around the girl he barely knew, pleased to add a little extra penance for not knowing it was her birthday, even though that wasn't fair, since he had no way of knowing.

She glanced up at the house, frowning at the darkness that greeted her. Usually she had to chastise him for leaving all the lights on, going around turning them off, grumbling about him "not caring about the planet" so it was strange to her that her home sat still, in darkness.

"Why are all the lights off?" She muttered, mostly to herself, as she unconsciously pushed Emma behind her a little, the natural reaction of a mother sensing potential danger, as she unlocked her door, stepping tentatively over the threshold.

"Alex?" She called out nervously, growing more anxious as she was met with only silence from the darkened house. "Alex?" Her voice grew a little shriller as she tiptoed inside.

The usually overly talkative Emma remained silent, offering no suggestions, or worries, or panicked chatter, which Norma would usually find odd, but she was too preoccupied with her own anxiousness to notice, thankfully not glancing behind her to where Emma was biting her lip to stop from giggling.

There was a tiny noise from the dining room, the formal room they rarely used, and Norma jumped, flailing her hand quietly to usher Emma behind her as she slowly pushed the door open, her mind expecting the worst.

"SURPRISE!" Emma suddenly yelled from behind her, just a split second before Alex and Dylan shouted from inside the dining room.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" They shouted, all three of them faltering as they realised they'd shouted different things at the same time.

"I thought we decided on 'Surprise'?" Emma mumbled accusingly, as Norma gasped at them, taking in Alex and Dylan's sheepish, unsure expressions, and her little dining room filled with flowers and balloons, and then glancing over her shoulder at Emma, who was beaming happily at her.

"Did you do all this?" She blurted out, her mouth hanging open in shock, her hand flying to her chest like she was having palpitations.

"Me? No! This was all Sheriff Romero." Emma grinned at Norma's dumbstruck reaction, as she turned back to her son and her husband, who were still standing awkwardly, not quite sure if they'd done well or not.

Norma took a few moments to take it all in, blinking rapidly at the ground to keep the unshed tears in her eyes from falling, taking deep breaths until her heart-rate slowed and she glanced up, smiling broadly at them both.

"Oh honey!" She trilled as she swept over to Dylan, pulling him in for a bone crushing hug he wasn't expecting. "Thank you." She muttered, and he nodded back, stiffly returning her hug, before she released him, spinning round and embracing Emma, stroking a hand down her curls gently, feeling the girl clutch her back like she was starved of a mother figure.

"Thanks Emma." She whispered gratefully, before turning to the waiting Alex, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him, feeling him envelope her in his embrace.

"How did you know it was my birthday?" She whispered against his neck.

"I have my ways." He murmured back cryptically, pressing a gentle kiss against her temple, before pulling back and going to turn away from her. Her hand shot out, grasping his hand, stopping him from going anywhere. She shot him a quizzical look, pouting a little and he chuckled, easing his fingers from her grip.

"Relax. I'm just going to get the food." He mumbled, sounding a little shy, as Emma gasped cutely at his words and Norma's mouth dropped open.

"Food?" She repeated.

"Sit, sit." He demanded, sounding more like her than himself, and everyone was too shocked to do anything else but obey, all taking their seats and gazing curiously at the doorway, waiting for him to return.

"Alex cooked?" She whispered to Dylan, who shrugged nonchalantly, giving nothing away. Norma flashed her eyes at Emma, shooting her a curious smile.

"Well, I guess we all die tonight then?" She joked innocently, finally letting her eyes drift around the table. They had laid out her best china, which would normally be a serious offence, but she was touched at the gesture today. Her hand reached out to gently graze the petals of the baby pink peonies that adorned the centre of the table, smiling gently at them, noticing the tiny blue daisies and bluebells and wildflowers that were dotted between them. How would he have guessed all her favourite flowers? She was too in awe of the perfect arrangement to notice Emma's pleased grin as she watched Norma stroking her fingers along the blush petals.

"I hope you're hungry!" Alex announced, his tone slightly apprehensive as he appeared in the doorway with a steaming serving dish in his hands, dropping it down and disappearing again, this time balancing another serving dish and a bottle of champagne in his hands.

"You really shouldn't have gone to all this trouble..." She started meekly and Alex ignored her, taking the covers off the dishes with a flourish, smiling proudly down at his creation, as they all leaned in curiously.

"What is it?" Dylan blurted out, and Alex smile faltered a little.

"It's ropa vieja. And rice and beans." He announced and they all looked from the dishes to his pleased little face. They was a long pause and he rolled his eyes at them. "It's Cuban." He clarified, and he cast his eyes down sadly to the floor for a moment. "It's nothing special. Just beef and..." He trailed off, shrugging.

"It's the only thing my mom ever taught me to cook." He said quietly, darting his eyes up to Norma, like he was sharing that with only her, like Emma and Dylan weren't there for a moment.

They stared at each other for a moment, just long enough for her to blink her eyes slowly at him, shooting him a soft smile, which he returned, before Emma piped up out of nowhere.

"Well, it looks great!" She said cheerfully, leaning forward to gaze at the food.

"Is it spicy though?" She added warily, and Alex laughed at her, sliding into the seat next to her, right across from Norma.

"I always forget you're English." He joked, and Emma's mouth dropped open, unused to being the butt of a joke from Sheriff Bulldog Romero. "I'll do bangers and mash for you next time."

Emma gasped in faux English outrage, and the slight nervous tension was lifted, beginning an evening of merriment and gentle chit chat.

"Oh my god, Alex!" Norma blurted out, covering her full mouth with her hand. "This is really good!"

"Ok. The surprise in your voice is a little hurtful..." He deadpanned, and she laughed, shooting him a incredulous look.

"Why have you let me do all the cooking this whole time?" She took another bite and he rolled his eyes at her.

"Because one time I tried to make breakfast and you screamed at me for using the wrong pan."

"He was making an omelette in a skillet!" She protested, turning to Emma and Dylan like they were going to back her up. They shrugged at her and she rolled her eyes in response, going back to their meal, continually reassuring the visibly nervous Alex that she was enjoying the food and that no, she didn't need her glass topping up.

"Thank you for dinner, honey." She trilled at him, after they opened a second bottle and they were all sat back, clean plates all round.

"You're very welcome."

She automatically reached for her plate, her other hand stretching out to grab his.

"Don't you dare touch that plate, Norma Bates." He snapped suddenly, and she froze, tutting at him, but obediently sitting back in her chair.

Dylan and Emma rose as one, in perfect sync as they both reached for everyone's plates.

"No, no-" Norma started, as Alex rose too, holding his hands out to stop them.

"I'll do that-"

"No." Emma said simply, entirely ignoring him, apparently emboldened by the tiny glass of champagne she'd had, slapping his hands away from the plates.

"You cooked. We'll clear."

They couldn't argue with the girl's logic and even Dylan flashed them a little look that said he was impressed by this sudden burst of confidence as she successfully disobeyed Norma and Alex, clearing the table with Dylan's help.

They disappeared into the kitchen, just the soft murmur of happy voices and the faucet running floating into the dining room, where Norma and Alex were now alone.

"You didn't have to do all this, you know." She said softly, tapping her ring absentmindedly against her glass, gesturing at the flowers and the shiny pastel balloons hovering around the room, and then to the kitchen.

"Stop saying that." He chastised quietly, shaking his head at her as she glanced up at him, letting a small smile spread across her face.

"I wanted to. I wanted you to have a good birthday."

He didn't want to let her know that he knew she'd never really had a good birthday before. He didn't want to embarrass her or remind her of any sadness that her life before him had contained, so he left it at that, gazing deep into her eyes, blinking slowly.

She reached out, covering his hand on the table.

"I did have a good birthday. Thank you, honey." She beamed at him, and he stroked his fingers across her palm, bringing her hand to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles.

"It's not over yet." He murmured, his words full of promise, his eyes dark all of a sudden, and she let her foot graze up the side of his leg for a second, before Dylan and Emma reappeared in the doorway and she dropped her foot and her eyes guiltily.

"Ok. All washed up. We left the skillet soaking-"

"Dylan! You don't soak a cast iron skillet!" She whined, and Dylan and Emma burst out laughing as she fell for the weakest prank of all time.

"Oh ha ha." She rolled her eyes at them, as Dylan produced a handful of cards from behind his back, handing them over sheepishly.

"You got me a card?" She breathed out, flicking through the trio of envelopes, running her hand over them reverently.

Dylan dug his hands into his pockets casually, like it was no big deal, before Emma ushered them back to their seats, smiling almost tearfully at Norma as she opened the first card.

Mom. Happy birthday! Sorry I missed so many. I'll make it up to you.

Lots of love from Dylan and Emma xoxo

Emma had clearly written "lots of" in her own handwriting, and had added the kisses at the end, but the rest was all Dylan, and Norma stared at the card for a moment, taking deep breaths, willing herself not to cry.

"Thanks..." She sniffled a little, and Dylan looked deeply uncomfortable. "Thank you Dylan."

"No problem... mom." He choked out and Norma busied herself with neatly folding the envelope before taking a deep breath, and opening the next card.

To My Wife read the front of the card, and Norma bit her lip. She had been married three times, and she had never received a card that said "To my wife" on it. She tried desperately not to dwell on that, as she opened it, letting her eyes fall on Alex's looped, feminine handwriting.

Norma.

I'm glad I met you. I'm glad I married you. I'm glad I can make this birthday special. I promise I will make every birthday from this one special too.

All my love, Alex. x

She gave up at this point, letting a couple of errant tears fall from beneath her lids, sniffling at little as she grinned up at him, seeing him smiling sadly at her.

She didn't say anything - She didn't need to, just nodded at him, wiping away her little tear, before turning her attention to the last card, gasping as she recognised the handwriting.

"Is this..." She whispered, tearing open the envelope before she could finish her thought, throwing her hand over her mouth as she read it.

Mother.

Happy birthday. I forgive you.

Love, Norman x

She gasped into her hand.

"How did you... I thought he'd..." She choked out, clutching the card against her, now openly crying.

"I-" Alex started, and Dylan cut him off.

"Norman called me. They wouldn't let him mail it so I drove down to pick it up. He wanted to make sure you got it."

He was lying. He and Alex had driven down there and borderline threatened Norman into writing the card, since he had known very well what day it was and had planned on ignoring the date to spite her. But Norma didn't need to know that, and so Dylan lied - One of the kindest things he had ever done for her, and with enough finesse that she didn't question it.

"Oh." She breathed out happily, reading the card again, sobbing as she read the somewhat cold little message inside again. She didn't notice though, or she chose not to notice, choosing to feel loved and happy on her birthday.

Alex couldn't really blame Dylan for lying, and he was secretly just happy to let Dylan take the lead on that, not wanting to tell her the ugly truth, so he smiled at her, and got up, crossing the room and leaning down to hug her, letting her cry out happy tears against his shoulder.

"I think we're gonna head out." Dylan said suddenly and they broke apart, looking guilty that they'd made them feel uncomfortable.

"What? No, Dylan, Emma - Stay." She pouted at them, noticing the way his concerned gaze kept flicking over to Emma.

"Come on, at least stay for some cake?"

"There's cake?" Norma's face lit up and Alex closed his eyes in annoyance at himself for giving that away.

"We'd love to but... Emma isn't really supposed to be up and about for this long yet."

They all flicked their eyes to Emma, who looked decidedly paler than she had earlier and she looked stricken.

"I'm so sorry, Norma-" She started and Norma held a hand up to stop her.

"Stop it. Don't apologise. Your health comes first, sweetie."

Norma rose, wiping her hands across her wet cheeks, and Emma wobbled to her feet, looking more exhausted by the second, just as Dylan sprang up, rushing to protectively wrap his arm around Emma's waist.

"Thank you for dinner." She said politely to Alex, thankfully not lingering by him long enough to make him internally debate whether or not he should hug her. She reached for Norma, pulling her close and feeling her take a shaky breath.

"Did you have a good birthday?" She murmured and Norma pulled back, keeping her hands on Emma's arms, fixing her with a warm smile.

"I did. I really did. Thank you."

Dylan patiently waited his turn, obligingly letting her pull him for a lingering hug, feeling her start to cry very softly against him again.

"Mom... stop." He muttered and she sniffled and shook herself. "Happy birthday Norma." He mumbled.

"Thank you, Dylan. It means alot to me." She said quietly, before pulling back and watching as Alex and Dylan shook each other's hands.

"Thanks for your help, man." Alex said gently. "I couldn't have done-"

"Don't mention it." Dylan nodded back at him. "Anytime... Alex."

"Ok, now you take care of her, ok?" Norma said suddenly, wrapping her arm around Dylan as they walked out. "Do you guys want some leftovers to take with you?"

"We're fine, honestly. I'm just a bit tired. I'm ok, I swear." Emma assured her, as her and Dylan started down the steps.

"Don't worry. I'll look after her." Dylan piped up, as he turned round. "Goodnight. Save us some cake, ok?"

He led Emma down the steps to his car, as Alex wrapped his arm around Norma's shoulders, waving them goodbye as they drove off.

Norma opened her mouth to speak, cut off as Alex suddenly grasped her hand and pulled her towards him, kissing her passionately.

"Time to unwrap my gift?" She smirked against his mouth, as her hands brazenly tugged at the front of his shirt. He chuckled, pressing a soft kiss against her jaw and then pulling back, keeping his hands wrapped around her waist.

"Not quite." She pouted at him. "I wanna show you something..."


	2. Chapter 2

"Time to unwrap my gift?" She smirked against his mouth, as her hands brazenly tugged at the front of his shirt. He chuckled, pressing a soft kiss against her jaw and then pulling back, keeping his hands wrapped around her waist.

"Not quite." She pouted at him. "I wanna show you something."

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah, I've seen it..." She trailed off as he tugged her hand, pulling her around the side of the house, and then spinning himself to stand behind her.

"What are you-" She started, as he suddenly clamped one hand over her eyes, the other grabbing her hand, as he urged her to walk on. She stumbled hesitantly over the uneven ground, round to the back of the house, where she rarely went, clutching hard at his hand as her heels slipped over the overgrown grass there.

"I don't wanna have sex behind the house." She blurted out in irritation as she stumbled over a rough clump of earth, growing annoyed at the situation. He barked out a short laugh in her ear.

"Jesus, Norma. What kind of husband do you think I am?"

She sucked in an annoyed breath to answer, a smartass reply on the tip of her tongue before he stopped her.

"Hold that thought." He whispered, suddenly close behind her, his breath tickling her hair before he moved her hand up to her eyes.

"Cover your eyes. No peeking!" He sounded giddy almost, like a proud child, and she filled with nervous anticipation at what he might be about to reveal to her. He couldn't have secretly built her a pool in a day, could he? She sniffed deeply. No chlorine scent, only the musty aroma of freshly tilled earth filled her nostrils, and she frowned, as she obeyed, raising both hands to cover her eyes, resisting the urge to peek as she heard him walk away from her.

There was a clicking sound from somewhere in front of her and then some soft muttering and a growl of annoyance.

"For fuck's sake." He muttered, and there was more clicking and then the sounds of him stomping around for a few moments.

"Everything ok?" She called out nervously.

"Yeah.. Yes... Don't peek." He reminded her, as there was another shuffling sound and then a triumphant "Aha!".

There was one last click and then Norma became aware of light flooding in from behind her fingers.

"Can I look now?"

"Yep."

She let her hands drop from her eyes, letting her eyes flicker open, blinking against the suddenly bright lights that flooded her senses.

Alex was standing with his arms out, beaming at her, standing next to a little row of weak-looking, hip-height plants that looked a bit like weeds. Twinkling fairy lights were strung between the plants, which looked like they were slightly struggling under the weight of the pretty lights.

"Ta da!" He yelled proudly, and she fixed a polite smile on her face, taking a step forward.

"Oh. Wow." She breathed out, nodding encouragingly at him, trying to keep the confused frown off her face. How could a man who had chosen such beautiful flowers for the centrepiece choose such ugly little plants now? And so sporadically planted, at the back of her house, where she spent so little time?

"You planted flowers for me?" She tried to focus on how sweet it was, noticing the little pink flowers adorning some of the plants, watching as the twinkly little lights moved gently in the breeze.

"I planted trees for you." He clarified, and she gasped, looking from his slightly unsure face back to the plants with a new sense of awe.

"Trees?" She whispered out, taking another step towards what she had thought were weeds.

"Yeah. I know you wanted to make jam? So I planted fruit trees for you." He said, suddenly sounding sheepish, like he thought it was a stupid idea all of a sudden.

Her hand reached out to tentatively touch the waxy leaves of the nearest sapling, reverently, like she was touching a fragile newborn baby, feeling her eyes fill with tears all over again.

"They won't produce fruit for a while though." He added apologetically, stepping around her to gesture broadly at the plants. "The cherry trees might be ready next spring? At the very least they'll blossom." He gestured at the cluster of baby trees in the middle. "The apricots won't be ready till next summer at the earliest."

He'd been so distracted by reeling off the information given to him by the very helpful man at the nursery where he'd picked up the trees that he didn't notice her stalking over to him, her mouth dropped open, her eyes shining in the golden glow from the fairy lights.

"And we wont be eating apples till we're old and grey-" He was cut off as she appeared at his side, reaching up to grasp his face, kissing him deeply.

He pulled back for a moment.

"I also planted you a sunflower in the pot by the door." He added, smiling smugly, clearly very pleased with himself now, watching as she smiled tearfully at him.

"I love sunflowers!" She breathed out, before kissing him again, pulling him against her, pouring out her gratitude.

His hands automatically went around her back, calloused finger tips brushing over the bare back exposed by her dress. His lips drifted to her jaw, pressing soft wet kisses there, and then down her neck as her hands slid into his hair.

"Did I tell you how beautiful you look in this dress?" He muttered in her ear, his hands trailing gently up and down her back.

"Ya know, I don't think you did." She mumbled back accusingly, as his finger tips slid just into the waistband at the back of her dress, where the fabric dipped low into the small of her back.

He pulled back a little, gazing at her seriously.

"Well then... You look beautiful in this dress." She giggled as he kissed her neck again, nuzzling against her, and she breathed out a soft little moan, his hands sliding down over her ass, pulling her against him.

"Thank you." She breathed out, as her hands slid under his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders to pool on the ground behind him.

He pulled back suddenly to stare at her in confusion, and she bit her lip coyly at him.

"Thought you didn't wanna have sex behind the house?"

"I changed my mind. It's my birthday. I can do that." She explained, giggling as her hands slid under his shirt, trailing gently around his sides and up his back, before grabbing a fistful of fabric and dragging him down to the floor with her. She lay herself back down and he followed her, allowing her to pull him down on top of her, holding most of his weight up.

He kissed her again, feeling her legs open for him, her thighs dropping open to let him nestle himself comfortably against her. The dried, overgrown grass was scratching into her back, but she didn't care, her breathing quickening as he thrust gently against her while he kissed her, his tongue lapping at her bottom lip. The tongues brushed against each other's lazily, as she reached between them, scrabbling to pull the voluminous floral fabric up around her waist, wrapping one leg around the back of his thigh, pulling him against her.

They rolled suddenly, and she was on top of him, her hair flopping into his face, and she ground herself against him without thinking, feeling his need through his jeans, letting out a soft sigh into his mouth. His hands flew to her ass, sliding inside her underwear to cup the soft flesh there, urging her on a little as she continued to grind her hips in little circles. Her hands slid down his chest, tugging frantically at his belt, managing to undo both his belt and his fly with her eager, shaking hands, as his own hands slid her panties as far down her thighs as he could. Her little hand was sliding into his boxers, closing around him, when he flipped them suddenly again, one hand pinning her hand against the ground, the other reaching down to slide her panties off one leg completely, before trailing his nails back up her thigh, making her shiver.

He gazed down at her, noting the little barely noticeable mascara smudges under her eyes from her earlier tears, the way her lips were pink and swollen from his kisses, the way her eyes were dark and wide and expectant, glinting in the soft light. She was breathing hard, her fingers flexing slightly where they were pinned, her legs dropping open wantonly as his fingers found their target. He teasingly circled her clit for a second, watching as her eyes fluttered shut, her head dropping back.

"Ohhh..." She breathed out, her free hand shooting out to grab hard at his shoulder, as his fingers slid smoothly inside her, pumping in and out slowly a few times, enjoying the way her breath hitched in her throat, her back arching up off the ground a little. He gave up on the teasing pace, increasing the speed, curling his fingers inside her with a fast fluttering motion, making her eyes shoot open as she rolled her hips in time with his movements.

"Alex, Alex." She chanted out, as her fingers dug into his upper arm, her other hand wriggling free from his grip to grasp at the side of his face, pulling him down to kiss her breathlessly.

"I want you-" She panted out into his mouth and he needed no further invitation, immediately withdrawing his fingers and sliding into her with one quick movement.

Her head dropped back again, her hand grabbing a fistful of his hair, and he gave her a moment, leaning down to kiss her neck with wet, open mouthed kisses, before he started moving his hips. He moved gently for a handful of thrusts, before his hand slunk down around her hip, down along her thigh, hitching it up over his shoulder, pushing even deeper into her. His hips quickened their pace to match the pace his fingers had been moving at before, each thrust eliciting a shrill squeak he'd never heard her make before.

Her hands shot out to lay flat either side of her, steadying herself now she was slightly unbalanced, her head dropping to the side, biting her lip as he ploughed into her.

"Oh god. Oh god..." She breathed out, her fingers pressing into the dirt either side of her.

It was hard and fast and dirty and exactly what she wanted, as she felt the familiar tightening in her belly quickly, panting out a series of half formed words and profanities before her breathing quickened to the point where it sounded like she was hyperventilating. His fingers dug in hard to her thigh, where he was holding it up around his shoulder, and she quieted to almost silence for a second, before she was tightening around him, her hands grabbing handfuls of the earth and grass around her, her mouth letting out a ragged, feral cry that made him glad they had no guests down at the motel at the moment.

He clutched at her leg desperately for a moment, pressing a sloppy kiss against the inside of her knee as he thrust into her unsteadily a few more times, before he spilled out into her with a couple of trembling grunts, his whole body shaking as he managed to hold his weight off her.

Unhooking her shivering thigh, he lowered it gently to the ground, before slipping out of her gently and rolling off her, both of them flopping back onto the ground. Their breathing returned to normal, and eventually, they opened their eyes, flicking their heads to look each each other, laughing breathlessly. Her hand found his, intertwining their fingers as they lay in companionable silence, listening to their own heartrates slowing back down again, gazing up at the stars above them.

"That's Orion's belt." He said suddenly, lifting his hand weakly to gesture broadly towards the heavens.

"Really?"

"No. I'm just making it up. I just wanna impress you." He joked.

She giggled, puffing out a satisfied breath, rubbing her free hand over her face, forgetting she'd just grabbed handfuls of earth, smearing dirt across her forehead.

He turned to look at her, laughing suddenly and she frowned sleepily at him.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just... we probably need a shower." She glanced down at herself, noting the faint smudges of dirt and grass stains that seemed to cover her body.

"Can't we just sleep here? Let's just stay out here." She mumbled sweetly, resting her head on his shoulder.

"So you don't want any cake then?"

Her head jerked up suddenly, and her whole face lit up.

"Omg cake!" She breathed out happily, jumping to her feet and pulling him up to join her. He smiled at her childlike enthusiasm, his smile faltering as she took a step and winced. He reached for her, his face immediately crumpling a little.

"You ok?" He asked, fearing he'd hurt her. And on this, her birthday! He sighed at himself, shaking her head, cut off as she giggled brightly all of a sudden.

"My leg's gone to sleep." She clarified, gesturing to the leg that had been thrown over his shoulder, giving it a little jiggle to get the blood flowing through it again, before grabbing his hand and skipping back to the house.

Minutes later, and they were in the shower, him gently rubbing small circles of soap into her back, cleaning the diamond shaped area of dirt where her dress was cut out, her hands rigorously scrubbing at her face. His hands drifted lower, smoothing soap over her ass cheeks.

"Alex..." She whined out, her voice a warning as his hands spread soap over the swell of her hips, sliding up her stomach, his naked body pressing against her back.

"What?" He muttered against her ear, as his hands brushed against the undersides of her breasts, his thumbs lightly skimming over her nipples.

"Quit." She said unconvincingly, as her head dropped back a little.

"Quit what?" He asked innocently, his hands drifting lower, skimming over her abdomen before she slapped his hands away suddenly, stepping forwards out of his reach and turning to fix him with an unimpressed look.

"You know what." She said accusingly, as she daintily stepped out of the tub, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around herself.

"I want cake." She said petulantly, before turning on her heel and leaving him alone in the bathroom.

It was a few minutes before Alex joined Norma in the bedroom, having to take a few minutes to compose himself, before realising that he'd spent their entire shower washing Norma, leaving his own body still covered in faint marks of dirt, and smears of her lipstick down his neck.

By the time he rejoined her, she was sitting crosslegged on the bed, the comforter spread out across her lap, one of his favourite shirts wrapped firmly around her, elegantly spooning tiny forkfuls of cake into her mouth.

"You couldn't wait for me?" He breathed out, flopping next to her on the bed, wearing just a pair of sweatpants, settling himself down opposite her, watching as she smirked at him.

"I was hungry." She shrugged, holding out a bite for him, watching as he lunged forward to eat it. She watched him hungrily, a wicked little smile spreading across her face as she watched him chewing.

"What?" He asked innocently as she shuffled across the bed to him, her eyes dark and playful.

She reached him, swiping her finger through the baby pink icing and sucking it from her finger, her eyes closing as she did so. He gulped as he watched her, smiling breathlessly at her as she repeated the action, this time holding the little blob of frosting out to him. He lunged forward for it, just as she moved her hand, wiping the sugary pink substance on his neck instead.

"Norma!" He barked out angrily, his anger soothed as she swung forwards to lick the frosting from his skin tantalisingly slowly.

"Mmm..." She breathed out in his ear, her finger reaching for another helping of icing. She moved to spread it on his skin, gasping as his hand shot out to stop her, his hand roughly grabbing her wrist, drawing her attention to his face.

"Stop it." He growled. He hated being sticky so this was his nightmare, sickly pink glaze clinging to his freshly washed skin.

He rarely exerted any kind of physical strength over her, but he did now, using his superior strength to turn her struggling hand back to herself, making her brush the pink glob against her own face.

"Alex!" She whined, pouting adorably as he pinned her hands, not letting her wipe at her face. "It's my birthday!" She reminded him, as he leaned in, licking the cake from her cheek with little open mouthed lick/kiss combos that made her eyes flutter shut and made her forget she was annoyed at him. He didn't notice her hand drifting subtly to the cake sat on the bed next to them, gathering another fingerful of icing and smearing it on his collarbone before he could stop her. She giggled wildly as he pulled back, fixing her with an irritated expression, rolling his eyes as he resigned himself to it.

She darted forwards, this time sucking the sugar from his skin, bruising the flesh underneath deliberately, laughing darkly as she pulled back to gaze at him innocently. He glared at her, and for a second, she was worried he was really annoyed at her.

"It's my birthday." She whispered out in a childlike voice, and Alex had to fight very hard to keep the annoyed scowl on his face as she spoke. He was just happy she was finally getting the real birthday she deserved, but it was fun to play along like he was still irritated by her.

He glanced at the clock on the bedside table.

"Only for another 22 minutes." He reminded her sternly, as she grabbed a few crumbs of cake, chewing them innocently at him, while her eyes darted to the clock, her free hand trailing down the edge of the buttons of the shirt she was wearing.

"Only 22 minutes?" She said sadly, clearly upset that her day was nearly over. His scowl smoothed out into a dirty little grin.

"Lucky for you, I'm GREAT at working to a deadline." He said saucily, as his hands hooked behind her knees, pulling her off balance and sending her sprawling onto her back. She gasped.

"I dunno?" She singsonged from her new haphazard position on the bed, folding her hands neatly across her stomach. "22 minutes doesn't seem like alot of time."

He leaned in across her, swiping his finger into the birthday cake that was still balanced next to them, dipping his finger into her mouth.

"I'm going for twice." He whispered, as she sucked hard on his finger, releasing it with a pop and flashing her eyes incredulously at him.

"But first..." He murmured, still leaning across her, as her thighs opened, letting him lean in close. "Take my shirt off." He said simply. "I'm not getting frosting on my favourite shirt."

She tutted and rolled her eyes at him, as she undid the single button holding his shirt together, sitting up a little and shrugging it off her shoulders, flinging it onto the floor behind the bed. He watched her hungrily from where he was sitting back on his knees, as she laid her naked body back down on the sheets, gazing up at him expectantly.

He reached behind him swiping all four of his fingers through the remaining frosting on the sad ruins of the cake on the plate, before smearing the pink goo down her whole torso, starting at her left nipple and running out of frosting as it trailed over her abdomen. She watched him, panting hard, biting her lip, pretending she wasn't as turned on as she was.

"21 minutes. You're wasting time." She chastised, cut off as he leaned forwards on his knees, suddenly lowering his face to her chest, kissing the valley between her breasts gently.

He lips moved to her nipple, sucking the stiff peak into his mouth, savouring the sweet icing there, before his slid his mouth lower, kissing and licking and sucking a path down the underside of her breast, down the hard line of muscle under her ribs, and down the softness of her stomach, dipping his tongue into her bellybutton, making her flinch a little at the tickling sensation.

She expected him to keep up the gentle teasing movements when he reached her core, so she was surprised when his gentle exploration of her body ended, and her legs where suddenly tossed over his shoulders roughly, as he set upon devouring her, his tongue pressing hard against her.

"Ohhh god." She muttered, and she felt him smile against her, as one single digit slid inside her, fluttering up against some delicious spot inside of her, as his mouth clamped around her clit, sucking hard, making her writhe against him.

Her hands flew to his head, tugging his hair, pressing him harder against her, wanting more, as she let out soft, needy moans into their bedroom.

His tongue started flicking back and forth wildly over her clit, setting up an unrelenting pace, making her squirm and writhe under him, his hands digging into her hips to hold her in place as he continued his relentless assault.

"There, there, there." She panted out, like he didn't already know, as his finger and tongue worked in perfect harmony, bringing her quickly and skillfully to her climax.

"Oh.. Oh!" She breathed out a surprised sounding gasp as she came quietly, biting into her own hand, her other tugging painfully at his hair, undulating her hips weakly a few more times, before collapsing bonelessly onto the bed.

Her thighs slid from his shoulders, flopping down against the sheets as she panted, her eyes still closed, one hand resting on her chest while she struggled to regain her breathing.

She had barely caught her breath, her heart still pounding wildly in her ears, before he was scooping her up, his arm sliding under her back, his other digging into the underside of her thigh, pulling her up like a rag doll. He swung them round, sitting himself up against the headboard, settling his floppy, breathless wife across his lap. Her hands rested naturally on his shoulders as he lifted himself up for a moment, clumsily shifting his sweatpants down his legs just a little, his erection springing free between them. She glanced down, before flicking her gaze back to him and smiling dreamily at him, still breathing hard, as she raised herself up on her knees, reaching between them and guiding them to her entrance.

She sank down slowly, her eyes dropping closed as he felt her still fluttering muscles relax around him, her mouth sucking in a long gasp.

He glanced casually at the bedside clock beside them. He still had time.

She started to bounce slowly, setting up a teasing rhythm, bracing herself against his shoulders, as his hands slid down the front of her body, ghosting over her nipples, and then sliding over her hips to her ass. He squeezed the soft flesh there and she gasped, sensing his intention, quickening her pace as he urged her on.

"Jesus." He whispered, as she sped up her movements, every soft moan filling his ears in the most perfect way. It was always a risky game, going down on her first. Hearing the perfect, sensual noises she made, and watching her face as she came were the best turn ons he could imagine, and he always felt like he was already halfway there by the time he buried himself inside her. Today was no different, his face contorting with concentration as she writhed against him, his muscles shaking from the effort of holding back. He glanced at the time, sighing deeply, his hands suddenly shooting up to roughly grab her wrists. Her eyes flew open as he unhooked her hand from his shoulders, instead forcing them behind her back, resting her hands on his thighs. She settled her weight differently, arching her back, pressing her breasts against his chest, and he took the opportunity to settle his hands back on her hips.

As she moved to start bouncing again, his hands held her down, instead guiding her to slide back and forth, his hands ushering her to roll her hips against him this time. He regained a little control from the shallow thrusting, letting his eyes flicker open to see her leaning back on her hands, her breasts bouncing as she quickly sped up, her head thrown back, her mouth open in a silent O shape.

He glanced to his right.

11:57

Fuck.

His thumb swiped across his tongue and found her clit, flicking back and forth roughly, his other hand digging in hard to her hip, trying to keep up with the brisk snapping of her hips.

"Ohhhh... Oh Alex." She breathed out to the ceiling, her curls bouncing around her face, her nails digging in painfully to his thighs.

"I'm gonna..." She murmured out, her words trailing off as she suddenly flopped forwards, clutching onto him tightly, coming with a long, shuddering, shaky sobbing sound. She tightened exquisitely as she bucked against him weakly, and he followed suit, his hips rutting up against her pliable body a few times before releasing his own shuddery groan against her shoulder.

They stayed like that for what felt like a long time, but was in fact, only a few moments, as they panted against each other's skin, his hands smoothing gently down her spine.

"Midnight." She observed casually, as she finally pulled back to glance at the clock.

"I told you, I work well to deadlines." He laughed out, and she smiled down at him, her face a little sad, as her thumbs grazed over his cheekbones.

"What is it?"

"It's silly." She shrugged, casting her gaze down for a second, while he stared at her imploringly. "I'm just... sad my birthday is over."

He smiled at her, his smile fading a little as he realised this was probably the only real birthday she'd ever had.

"There'll be plenty more." He assured her, wrapping his hands tightly around her. He lifted her suddenly, holding her against him as he shuffled down the headboard, laying himself down, sliding out of her and snuggling her up against his side.

"Thank you... for everything today." She said genuinely against his chest, as her hand splayed out, brushing back and forth through his chest hair.

"I wanted to make it special." He said sweetly, stumbling over his words a little. He turned her head up to him, pressing a kiss against his jaw. His hand slid down to cover hers, turning her wrist suddenly and laughing lightly.

He pulled her wrist up to his mouth, sucking the errant smudge of raspberry frosting from the side of her arm. She unconsciously shifted up his body a little as he did so, gasping at the unexpected movement.

"And just think," He whispered, tugging her up a little, his fingers still intertwined with hers, his lips brushing the shell of her ear.

"It could be cherry jam I'm licking off you next year..."


End file.
